Darkness Will Fall
by Ganja Naraku
Summary: Lucky Lucky Boy, Uzumaki...
1. Lucky Lucky Boy

Sleep. Perchance to dream, and piss!

xxx

A seven-year-old child, incapable of defending himself against the harshness of the world, barreled through empty streets in the shadows of the moonlight. He dodged into random streets and alleys without looking back, his lungs burning from the effort and his muscles screaming for relief, which they were given when he attempted to cut through a graveyard to try and hide behind some of the tombstones. After he had dashed behind one he heard them come to a stop and begin to talk among themselves, before separating and beginning to search.

One of the men passed his stone and he could see the silhouette of a butcher knife. He bit his lip and tried to sneak away but tripped over a rock and fell with as thump. He looked behind him into the eyes of the man who was now smirking and re-gripping the knife in his hand as he stalked toward him.

And then the voice spoke...

**Through you, I will display my _power..._**

The voice was creepy and ethereal, as if he wasn't hearing it with his ears but in his head. It sounded old and young, deep and raspy all at the same time. Naruto scampered back until he was trapped between the tombstone and the man who raised his knife up high. Everything went dark at that exact moment and the voice spoke again.

**Through you..._I_ am born.**

The blond gasped as vision returned to him and he saw the man cowering away from him, his knife forgotten. From behind him a long razor bladed tendril stretched forth and tripped the man as two snake-like demon heads appeared on his left and right. They were both adorned in white lights that shifted to red and had yellow eyes that gleamed. They released a high-pitched growl as they too lunged for the man, one biting down on his abdomen and tearing the man's intestines out while it's brother latched itself to the man's neck, snapping the bones of the spine with it's powerful jowls. As the first head finished it's meal it hissed and lunged at the corpse's chest breaking through the ribs and tearing out it's prize; the man's heart, and like a dog showing off for it's beloved master, it tossed it in the air before swallowing it whole.

As one can imagine, this attack caused a lot of screaming from the now silent man and his friends had come to find out what was going on. The first to arrive was greeted by being bitten on the skull, lifted and tossed to the gates where he was impaled upon their spikes before they bent from the force. The second arrival, seeing this tried to run and was impaled from behind by the razor tendril that tunneled through his chest and continued forth to catch two other men before twisting and relinquishing the men into a bloody heap. One man tried to hide behind one of the tombstones but was noticed by the demon head on the left. It's colored dots shifted yellow and flew at the floor slithering forth toward him. As soon as it hit the ground, the blond could see everything, feel everything it felt as if the creature was a part of him. He watched through the beasts black and white vision as it found it's prey and growled catching his attention. He victem had time to let out a scream before the demon head snapped at his head ripping his face off and retracting back to it's owner.

When all was said and done there were only three men left and both heads growled before shifting a light blue. One screamed and a black hole in time and space opened sucking the screaming and crying men inside as well as the many bodies the massacre had created before shutting with a small pop.

Before the blond collapsed out of both shock and exhaustion he heard the voice again and it sounded full of glee.

**Lucky, Lucky Boy, _Uzumaki_...**

xxx

"Naruto!" Iruka called from his roster, bringing the attention of the blond away from his fans who he was teasing with playful winks and smiles. "You're next!" The boy sighed and rose from his seat and made his way to the room in which he would be tested for graduation from the ninja academy. Iruka and Mizuki observed the quiet, intimidating boy approach the desk and put his hands together into the appropriate seals.

The scarred shinobi had known Naruto when the boy was a mere child, they had encountered on another several times in the streets. At the time, Iruka understood that the blond child craved attention and worked to obtain it any way possible, whether in the form of pranks or childish behavior. He understood that the boy had led a harsh life and empathized with him when they first met, but now...Now it was like that persona was gone.

Something happened to Naruto before his entrance into the Academy. As the years went by, so did his wardrobe. His gaudy jumpsuits transformed into a set of loose clothing that seemed to exist only to cast shadows around him. The boy before him wore a long trench coat that touched the ground that matched his cargo jeans. The only light clothing on his body was his white T-shirt.

But looks were only the tip of the iceberg; his personality had also undergone a radical change. The happy-go-lucky behavior that had once defined the Uzumaki had all but vanished now; He still smiled and spoke with pride, but the smiles were those of a beast seeking a kill and the headstrong attitude possessed undertones of one who did not fear death or retribution in any way. The way he carried himself had changed, too. Gone was the cheerful bounce in his step and morose slump when he was down; those were now replaced by a confident slouch that was a mix of laxness and superiority. Even Sasuke's brooding couldn't touch that combination.

Which led to another thing: Naruto's interactions with the other students. He no longer attempted to be the center of attention. Instead, he sat back to live and let live, at least until someone threw a verbal jab his way. Such actions died rather fast, however, as the other preteens seemed to sense something...Wrong emanating from the boy; as such most kept their distance and left him more or less in peace. Those that did not were members of a small fan club that had developed around, and because of, his new behavior. It seemed the girls of the class were attracted to the "bad boy" stereotype. But unlike Sasuke, who chose to brood while keeping everyone at arm's length, Naruto relished and thrived in the affection and would tease and play along with their little games. In fact, much to Iruka's surprise, naruto was quite the little ladies man and seemed to have this way of turning anyone of the opposite sex into a loving fan.

Iruka was also curious about the boy's academic standing. To be sure, the Uzumaki wasn't the best and brightest of the class, but he had never displayed any true show of intelligence. He would score among the lowest on tests where book smarts were concerned and his chakra control, for lack of a better word, sucked. But when it came to practical applications of chakra, he would try hard enough to get the job done at a minimum level and then quit, so his capabilities were still unknown. Iruka also wondered why the boy displayed such a detailed understanding of muscle groups and bone structures only to turn around and fail to name a few key facts that were common knowledge. "_Hell,_" he mused, "_He's even corrected me a few times on human anatomy..._"

The scarred chunin was shaken from his inner observations when the blond in question failed to produce an adequate clone. "Sorry, Naruto," He began, "I can't pass you for that."

"What's the point of a fucking clone that can't even attack anyway?" Naruto sneered with a cocky grin. "It's like pissing in a lake, it just doesn't _do_ anything"

Iruka frowned as a few of the students giggled. That was another thing; Naruto's mouth had fouled almost as bad as his temperament. Where he had learned such a vocabulary was as much a mystery as everything else. "Like it or not, those are the basics. If you can't even pull those off, then I can't pass you."

"Don't be so harsh, Iruka." Mizuki countered, "After all, this is his third time testing for graduation. Perhaps we could let him pass this time; It's obvious he's putting forth the necessary effort."

Iruka rolled one eye to stare into the face of Mizuki, never before had this man showed anything less than a very well hidden scorn for the blond, so it struck him as very odd that he would do anything to help the blond_... Maybe he's grown on him…_ "Mizuki, you know the rules. We can't make exceptions for anyone."

Naruto snorted with eyes that possessed elevated degrees of annoyance. The preteen turned on his heel to headed back up to his seat. "I'll try again next time," He spat before leaning back on two legs and resting his head on the desk of one of his fans who began stroking the blond strands.

Iruka sighed; the boy was difficult to understand. _One minute annoyed as all hell, then he's flirting. _Iruka shook his head

Xxx

That night found Iruka sailing through the trees in search of the blond. The boy had made off with one of the forbidden scrolls from the Hokage's home and the village was on high alert. The scarred man hoped he found his pupil before anyone else; Who knew what the others would do to him?

He sighed in relief when he found the blond seated next to the document in question and taking controlled heavy breaths. The older ninja approached the prone boy and confronted him in a way he didn't see as too aggressive. "Naruto!"

The blond gazed at him with sleepy eyes. "Hey, Iruka-sensei." He greeted with his usual smug smile. "Can I pass now?"

"What do you mean 'can I pass now?! You stole a very dangerous scroll! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Mizuki-sensei said if I snuck the scroll past the Hokage and learned something from it." He panted, trying to hide his exhaustion, "I could pass."

The Umino raised an eyebrow. "He what?" He asked as the realization dawned upon him. "He told you to-Oh God."

"Well," A voice called from the treetops, "Looks like you got to him before me!"

Both heads swiveled to find Mizuki perched on a thick limb overhead. "Mizuki!" Iruka yelled fury coursing through his veins as naruto's eyes clouded in confusion. "Why did you tell Naruto to steal the scroll?!"

"And they call you a teacher," He grinned. "You can't even figure that one out?"

"It's a treasonable offense! You know that!"

"Oh come on, no one'll ever link me to it. I mean, look," He nodded towards the blonde, "Everyone knows he stole it, and when neither he nor the scroll returns, everyone'll know he took off with it."

Iruka eyes widened. "You...What are you planning?! Why are you doing this?!"

"You don't know?!" He stood from his crouched position sighing as if he was being forced to explain basic math to a child. "Might as well tell you since you won't be around much longer. You know as well as I do what that brat is."

"Mizuki!" Iruka knew full well what the traitor was about to say, and his voice dripped with warning. "Don't say it!"

"He's the Kyuubi! And when I kill you two, I'll dispose of the bodies and no one will know or care that he's gone!" Mizuki laughed. "Hell, If it wasn't for me taking off, I'd be a hero in this village!"

The scarred chunin glanced back at Naruto. He expected the boy to be in shock from the news, but what he found instead surprised him. The Uzumaki frowned, as a great deal of understanding began to cover his darkening face. "I get it now." The boy whispered to himself, "Now it all makes sense..."

"Naruto!" The ninja instructor crouched and grasped the blond by the shoulders, "You are _not _the fox! Mizuki is-!"

Said traitor laughed. "Come on, Iruka, don't lie! He killed your parents that night when he attacked!"

"That's a lie!" Iruka shouted back at the man in the trees. "Naruto is the fox's prison, not the fox himself!"

"Whatever," Mizuki spat as he gave up the verbal spar and unhooked one of his over-sized shuriken whirling it on his hand. "Once I take you two out, I'll be free to make any kind of bargain I want." He lobbed the massive throwing star, but not at Iruka. The failed academy student was far more vulnerable. The scarred man saw this ploy and moved to intercept the incoming weapon while shielding his student. He leaned over the blonde in time to receive a sharp pain spinning into his back, spattering blood in the boy's face. He glanced down to order the boy to run only to find his expectations dashed once again.

"What are you doing?" Naruto inquired with a fading grin that resembled disappointment. He seemed rather confused. "Why did you do that?"

"Wha...?" He almost questioned him further but swallowed the question with some blood. "Naruto, you've got to run!" He gathered himself, yanked the weapon from his back, and returned it to the sender.

Mizuki dodged the flung device with exceptional ease. "Not good enough!" He leaped from his hefty branch and tossed the other one, landing it in the fellow chunin's stomach. Iruka doubled over from the sudden pain while the traitor rushed towards the boy who attempted to stand in time to counter him. However, he was far more experienced than the blond bane, and his kunai stuck quite in the boy's abdomen.

But the Uzumaki did not go down and the kunai was flung back with the user by a strange rubbery substance. When he looked up Naruto's smug grin met him as the shadows began to gather, twisting and shifting as though the night itself had come to life. His eyes glowed a bright yellow as the substance that blocked his attack began to grow over him, connecting to his cloak and bonding it into a set of skintight armor. "You're wrong about one thing Mizuki..." He said, his voice as quiet and cool as a moonless night. Iruka recognized it as a similar tone he used when speaking to his fans, yet he'd never known it could become so terrifying. From behind him a long black tendril made from the same substance as his armor, lunged forth and stabbed the traitor in the leg impaling itself in between his tibia and fibula bones and lifting it up upside down. "There are people who would miss me should I kick the bucket." Iruka's eyes bulged as two demon heads grew from Naruto's shadow each glowing red and snapping as the armor continued to grow over his mouth canging his cool voice into a distorted and altogether demonic tone. "**And when the sun's away...They all come out to play**."

Iruka stared in awe as the boy, sporting a sick smirk that better belonged on a serial killer rather than a twelve-year old. The two heads lunged, biting the man's arms as the tendril ripped away and sliced at his stomach spilling his blooded his stomach. "Wait a second..." The traitor coughed as he was rammed into a tree. "That's...You can't..."

"**Oh, I can. And they will.**" Naruto stated with a dark smirk. From every direction yellow eyes opened in the shadows and little imps began to come closer. The creatures were small about a leg's length high with three sharp claws and beady yellow eyes. None of them were armed or clothed, though quite a few of them were giggling; licking their lips like they were about to have a nice feast. One jumped on Naruto's shoulder and he reached up to scratch its chin before it leaped off. Iruka could only assume it was the alpha of the group as it possessed a small beard and wore a bloody, over-sized chunin vest and carried a long rusty katana on it's small back. "**Have fun boys**." Several of them shouted in glee and charged ripping and tearing at the now screaming traitor. The razor bladed tendril ripped itself from it's prey allowing him to fall and be swarmed by the monsters all which began gnawing on his body, ripping pieces of flesh and muscle in their frenzied feast. The two demon heads, had released him as well, though not before they ripped his heart out and proceeded to fight over it until, at last, it tore apart and each swallowed half.

The imps were also hard at work devouring what was left over by the corpse. The alpha was carving away at the head while nibbling on his scalp. The smallest of them shouted in its squeaky voice. "Why do I always have to eat the dick?!" Yet offered no resistance as it devoured the genitalia.

Iruka fought the urge to throw up as they finished leaving only bones though a few of them were using shattered bits of them for toothpicks. Still somehow he got up the urge to speak to his pupil. "Naruto..."

He turned to face the man who had tried, though it was uneeded, to save him. "**Yeah**?"

"What are these things?"

"**The Darkness**." He answered as the armor began to recede and his clothes returned. His voice shifted once again becoming calm and sollum, a tone one would use when speaking at a funeral. "It is a spiritual entity that possesses me and keeps me from dying. It does my bidding, and I give it my soul."

As the wounded chunin took in this newfound information, he realized that everything made sense now. Naruto's sudden change of personality, the way he carried himself, his method of confrontation and interaction...It all matched up to him becoming an immortal warrior. He didn't need to fear anything because he knew this Darkness, or whatever it was, would protect him from death…"Naruto," He asked, one question nagging him above all others.

"What?" The blond frowned growing tired of these ceaseless questions.

"Is this what you want?"

The boy regarded him with darkened azure eyes. "Yes."

An awkward moment passed and Naruto nodded to the alpha imp who lead the little creatures away. The two heads hissed at him when he glanced in their direction before they too vanished in a cloud of black smoke. "Naruto." He gazed at the wounded instructor once more. "I know this was your choice, and I won't tell you whether or not it was the right one." The blonde recognized some form of lecture ensuing and turned to leave. "I know you had a harsh life and I'm no one to criticize you for your own choices, but if you've ever listened to me, please listen to this." The preteen sighed stopped and aimed a attentive face in his direction. "If you ever find someone who cares for you, someone who truly loves you," he winced from his deep injuries, "Don't just let them go. Treasure them no matter who they are."

The disturbing boy took note of this advice and nodded. "I'll keep it in mind."

"That's good," he smiled, a trail of blood trickling from his lips. "Well, as long as we're here, did you learn anything from that scroll?" He inquired to lighten the mood while awaiting a medical team.

This earned the blond's trademark smug smile. "You bet I did..."

xxx

Before I go I must tell you that I had some major help in the creation of this fiction from Stigma, who was awesome enough to let me use the first chapter of his masterpiece "Naruto's Greatest Heresy" as a starting point, I would recommend checking him out and reading his stuff.

Reviews are appreciated and as always,

I'm Ganja Naraku, and keep kicking ass!


	2. Very Interesting

I like Penguins!

xxx

Naruto sighed as he sat down and prepped himself for a nap. Last night, while fun, had tired the blond a great deal. While he was capable of just about anything after dark with just a small amount of effort, working on a new creation, practicing what he was later told was an A-Ranked Forbidden Jutsu, and then summoning a small legion of Darklings all in one night...He just wasn't used to that level of concentration and effort in a single night. Not only that, the excitement of passing the exam had kept him up for a long while, which he used to experiment with the Darkness.

He smirked at the thought of his..._gift_. The Darkness was indeed an awesome entity. Near infinite power, eternal life...He was in a sense, a God in human form, a thought that swelled him with joy. He had no idea where it came from or the full extent of it's powers. Still even with infinite power he had his weaknesses. The first weakness wasn't as concerning to him as the second; he was unable to conceive a child. It wasn't that he was made impotent by the Darkness, it's was more of a practical problem as doing so would cause the Darkness to pass on to his offspring, killing him in the process. But again it was all moot at this point, as sex wasn't at the forefront of his mind. The more major problem with the powers of The Darkness was that could not use it in broad daylight. If he even tried it anything that was touched by light would turn to dust. Still, he had adapted. If he had to go out he stuck to the shadows and wore clothes that cast shadows around him. And though experimentation with his Darkness arm he'd discovered the change to dust wasn't instant from contact. At the most a creation of Darkness could last three seconds in direct sunlight before turning to dust. Meaning if attacked, he had only three seconds to attack and kill his assailant, at least before he could send out another arm. _I wonder if I can create more than one at a time..._ He mused as he shut his eyes. _Something to think about later, I guess. If I'm lucky I may be able to get a little shut eye before-_

"Naruto?!"

_-they arrive. _The blond sighed, recognizing the voice and opened an eye to look at a purple haired girl about his age staring at him. She was dressed in a long sleeved fishnet shirt with a black tank-top underneath. Behind her were some of her friends all of them members of his 'fan club'. "Good morning ladies." He gave them all a playful smile making a few blush heavy shades of red at his eye passed over them. "How are you all this fine morning?"

"What are you doing here Naruto? I thought you failed the test..." Ami asked trying to hide the small blush from her face.

Naruto only smiled again and righted himself, stretching. "Well, I guess you could say I turned in some last minute extra credit." His eyes flashed yellow for a moment, something he knew mesmerized almost every girl his age that saw it, several of them swooned on the spot making him laugh. "Don't worry about it though Ami." He reached over and ruffled her wild grape colored hair making her beam. "All that matters is that I did pass and I'm here."

"No, Iruka just let you bullshit your way in, am I right?"

Again Naruto sighed, this time in genuine annoyance. He turned his head to glance over his shoulder at the raven haired boy behind him. Sasuke Uchiha. The one kid he knew who could make him want to kick a fucking puppy. "This coming from a guy who could get laid if he paid a hooker five-hundred grand."

This earned both a scowl from the Uchiha and laughter from the girls behind him. Naruto could almost hear his response before he said it. It was the exact same response he always used in this situation. "Fuck you."

Naruto fought the urge to laugh. Sasuke was so predictable. "Sorry I'm too tired from fucking your mother last night." There were gasps from the girls as Sasuke's face shifted into a glare that would scare anyone else stiff, yet Naruto only smiled, daring him to attack. Daring him to make a move so that he could use the Darkness blade he'd created under the table. However, the Uchiha decided to shut up, brooding in silence with such a dark hateful aura collecting about him that Naruto was sure no one would bother him all day.

All the while a certain Hyuga watched from above. Hinata could not believe that Naruto had passed and was curious as to what he had done to gain admittance. But in the long run it was irrelevant. The object of her affection was once again before her, returned to her sight by either divine intervention of a rare spark of luck on her part. She sighed watching as he laughed and joked with Kiba one of the few male friends he had. Over the years, she had grown quite fond of the boy despite his frightening personality. She had always been attracted to his carefree nature, his endearing smiles…And when he started to change she took it as a sign of maturity. But while that was true to some extent, she knew in her heart of hearts that something had happened to him to alter his life in a significant way.

She recalled the day he arrived in the dark clothing and sinister smirk. But unlike the budding fans that had become attached to him as the only other attractive boy in their class, she attempted to understand him a little more, and it paid off. She learned that underneath the intimidating exterior lied the same headstrong confidence from which she took inspiration. He still carried himself in that way that defied all those who told him he was worthless, something she wished she could do as well. All in all, the qualities that she had grown to appreciate were still there, only the wrapping was different.

She felt her face become a scowl similar to the Uchiha's as Iruka came in and ordered everyone into his or her seats and she was forced to watch in silence as the unofficial "leader" of his fan club flanked and latched onto the one she treasured. Indeed, during her investigation into how he had changed had taught her she was very capable of becoming quite jealous of his "fans", most of all, Ami Mitarashi. Ami was everything Hinata wasn't; Confident, strong, but most of all she was close to Naruto, something that irked the Hyuga heiress to no end. And though he may have only regarded her as a close friend, it didn't take a brain surgeon for Hinata to see Ami wanted to be more. She fawned over him far more than his other fans and even went out of her was to see him outside of class. She closed her eyes to hide her anger at this; Ami was making excellent headway with Naruto, while she couldn't even bring herself to look him in the eye. It was beyond infuriating, and she would wager a great deal that he didn't even know her name, much less that she was even alive. She wondered almost everyday if she could ever work up the courage to talk to him.

"Alright everyone, settle down" Iruka called as he smiled at them all. Paying particular attention to naruto as he tickled the chin of Ami as he tickled her chin. He then began to read of the rosters for the three man squads. As per usual, Naruto paid him no mind until his name was called. "Naruto Uzumaki. You will be paired with Ami Mitarashi,"

"Fuck yeah!" Ami shouted grinning. Now Naruto was all hers! Everyone knew that the teams were always made of two boys and a girl! She'd beaten out everyone!

Hinata looked down and stomped her foot in frustration...Now Naruto was all Ami's! She deserved to be with him! She knew it was selfish, but it wasn't fair! Ami hadn't liked him until after his change, Hinata had! _Damn it!_

"And Hinata Hyuga, you three make out Squad Eight."

"What?!" Both girls shouted before turning to stare at one another. Ami's eyes were swimming in fury and scorn as Hinata's were drowning in an ocean of shock and joy. "But-but sensei, the squads are always two boys and a girl!" Ami argued standing up.

Iruka sighed, somehow he'd known that regarding Naruto's squad mates he'd have to quell an argument. "I don't make the squads Ami, the Hokage does. if you have such a problem with your teammates I suggest you take it up with him."

"But-"

"Ami..." She glanced down at Naruto who was smiling as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "Just let it be." Ami bit her lip but chose not to dispute it, after all if Naruto didn't have a problem with it she was sure she could handle having the Hyuga heiress around, however she made a note to have a nice, pleasant talk with her at a later date. As she sat down again Naruto began to consider the teammates he'd be spending his genin career with, all in all he found them rather intriguing. Ami was a little firecracker, not unlike her aunt who was known for being quite a sadist. As a ninja, she had a decent amount of Taijustu with average grasps on Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. She was exceptionally skilled at using kunai and had a habit of serrating the edges of her weapons to cause more damage as they wound shred and tear.

The blond then glanced at Hinata who met his eyes for the briefest of moments before turning away and turning a bright shade of red. Hinata, on the other hand had amazing Taijutsu potential, her training in the Hyuga Clan's Juken Style allowed her to render her opponents unable to move or use chakra. Still, just from his observations it was clear she suffered from a massive inferiority complex, which made her hesitate in combat. A habit that she would have to be broken from if she was to be even useful as a teammate. Not only that but Ami was the jealous type, and Naruto had little doubt he'd be at the center of plenty of cat-fights between the two.

Yep, things were about to get quite interesting...

xxx

Twenty minutes later found Naruto, Hinata, and Ami all sitting on top of the Hokage stone faces waiting for their sensei. Ami was latched onto Naruto's arm as he humored her by running his hand through her hair. Meanwhile, Hinata was trying her best to keep the fury off her face. "I wonder what's keeping our sensei...What do you think Naruto?" Ami asked.

"No clue, although I'd like to eat sometime before the day's done. So whoever it is had better hurry up..." He stretched again as there was a puff of smoke making the two girls jump and stare at the new arrival.

She was a black haired woman with circular crimson eyes and her head in wild unkempt curls. She stood about five six, wearing an odd dress of bandage wrappings with one red sleeve over her right arm. She seemed nice enough as she waved at them. "Hello there. Sorry, if I kept you three waiting too long." She smiled.

Naruto spoke before Ami could say anything insulting. "Meh, it's alright sensei. At least you _did _show up, ne?"

The jonin seemed to look them over for a while before speaking. "So, let's start with introductions. I'm Kurenai Yuhi"

"Ooh, ooh! Me first!" Ami squealed raising her hand.

_Lively aren't we? _Kurenai thought. "Alright, let's hear it."

"I'm Ami Mitarashi. I like fighting and causing trouble. I don't like..." She glared at Hinata. "Stuck up people. My hobbies are training and practicing with my kunai. My dreams for the future..." She glanced at Naruto and blushed saying not a word more.

Seems he's already got one of them wrapped around his finger already. She smiled. "Well, thank you for sharing Ami. Why don't you go next?" She nodded at Hinata who began twiddling her thumbs.

"M-My name is Hinata Hyuga...I-I like cinnamon rolls. I don't like crabs or..." She glanced at Ami for a second before returning her gaze to the ground. "My hobbies are...Training and reading. My dreams...I-I want to become the head of the Hyuga..."

Naruto blinked and glanced at his dark haired teammate. If he didn't think it would be rude he'd have called bullshit on her last statement. He knew she was lying but at the same time there seemed a art of her that wanted to believe that. It would have to be something he would look into at a later date… "Well, guess that means I'm last eh?" Naruto smiled stretching. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like goofing off, and The Darkness. I don't like light, at all. Or veggies." He made a face, which made Ami giggle and Hinata smile. "My hobbies include long walks at night, playing the old man's piano...and studying. My dream is...to live my life to the fullest."

_Sarutobi was right. This kid really is an interesting one. _Kurenai smiled.

"What about you Sensei? You haven't told us anything but your name yet." Naruto asked.

Kurenai shook her head in amusement. There was no doubt now who would be the driving force behind the others. Ami would follow Naruto to the ends of the earth and Hinata was too shy and agreeable to ever try to tell him no. "Alright, fair enough. I'm Kurenai Yuhi. I like Pocky and herbal tea. I dislike people who judge others before they get to know them. I enjoy a nice day at the bathhouse. And my dreams...Mmm, can't say I've thought about it really..." She shook her head. "At any rate, what do you say we go see you new house?"

The response from the three genin was immediate. "What?!"

Now Kurneai looked confused. "Iruka didn't tell you?" From their faces the answer was obvious and she let out an exasperated sigh. "It's a new sort of training style that we're trying. They came up with it in Suna. You all live with each other to increase your teamwork. 'The squad that lives together works well together.' or something like that."

Naruto's look of confusion became discomfort almost as soon as the words left her lips. He'd rather live alone so he could use his Darklings and develop new creations. One of the secrets of the darkness is that after creating one type of darkling it was infinitely easier to recreate it over and over. Case in point, the imp like Minion Darklings could be summoned by the thousands both because they were relatively simple internally and he'd used them so often. Living with other people would limit him even further than the three hours he spent working, and telling them about his gift was out of the question as that would no doubt not only alienate them from him and create a near constant fear, although from the looks on Hinata's and Ami's faces refusing would cause a near riot. He sighed and forced a pleasant grin. "Sounds fun. Let's do it."

xxx

Naruto's worries had no foundation it turned out. The house was a two story, four bedroom bath home, with almost two-thousand square feet. It had beautiful hardwood floors and newer kitchen appliances. The Master Bedroom possessed it's own private balcony. The dining room was spacious with a nice bay window. The deck off the back of the home overlooked a small man-made pond with some fish inside and was fitted with an outdoor grill. t was already stocked as well, with enough food and supplies to last them at least a few months. What sold Naruto on the idea of living here were two distinct features, The massive basement that cast plenty of shadows for his work. And best part of the entire house in his mind, however, was the piano. A nineteen eighty-five Bösendorfer Model Two-hundred Piano with an ebony finish and matching bench, beautiful...

"Well? What do you think?" Kurenai watched their expressions. Naruto who had seemed the most apprehensive of the three had grown to like the piano in the family room.

"Dibs on master bedroom!" Ami shouted as she ran upstairs as Hinata made her way into the kitchen.

Naruto seemed to watch them go for a bit before turning to Kurenai, a look of absolute seriousness on his face. "I'm going to assume you know about my powers..." She met his gaze and nodded. "I'm sure you have questions."

She shook her head. "Just one. Are you in complete control of it?"

Naruto nodded. "The Darkness may have my soul, Kurenai-sensei," He smirked and tapped his chest over his heart. "But it doesn't have my spirit."

Kurenai returned his grin. "Good. Then I'll leave you three to examine your new home. I'll see you all tomorrow at noon at training field nine." She turned to leave, creating a shocked look on Naruto's face.

"Wait, you're not staying with us?" He called after her

Kurenai smiled back at him. "Nope. Like I said before, this exercise is to increase _your _teamwork. I'll come in now and then to check in on everything, make sure you guys haven't killed yourselves. But you're adults in this house. Your home, your rules." She smirked. "See you guys tomorrow."

Naruto stared after her as she closed the door behind her then turned back around to look at the massive house. And made his way over to the piano running his hand along it as he noticed a cabinent fo what appeared to be Sake…Oh yeah, things were going to get interesting...And he was going to love every minute of it!

xxx

On a role aren't I?


	3. We're Boned

I wanna kill something!

xxx

"These missions are complete and utter bullshit, you old cockfag!" Ami shouted as she kicked the door open and barged in, Hinata holding Tora as it cowered away from Naruto, who followed them. They had all just spent the better half of the day chasing the feline around the village and even Hinata looked a more than a little bit perturbed. She was covered head to toe in mud, leaves, and twigs. Ami didn't look much better as she was covered in tiny scratches left by the damnable creature when she had almost captured her about three hours into the chase. Naruto didn't have much of anything to show for his part in the chase, and he had caught the little monster after chasing her into an abandoned house. When he had come back out, the cat looked as though it had seen a ghost and had jumped into Hinata's arms and seemed to cower even further when Naruto even looked at it. What he had done to get this response from Tora, no one knew or cared.

Ami stomped her foot as she recieved her check. "I'm sick of all these crap missions! Pull up potatoes, chase that fucking cat, mow someone's lawn! All I've learned so far is Konoha has some of the laziest fuckers I have ever seen in my life! Give us a challenge!"

"Ami!" Kurenai shouted shocked by her bravado. "Show some respect!"

Sarutobi held up his hand and took on a visage of consideration. "Is this what you all want then? Something a little harder?"

Naruto smirked. "With all due respect, I have to agree. As Ami so aptly put it, these missions are 'total bullshit'." Hinata also nodded her head in agreement.

Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe considering things. "Alright then. If you three are so adamant about going on a tougher mission...I may just have something for you." He held out a scroll to Kurenai. "You three are to escort the bridge-builder, Tazuna, to the Land of Waves. Because you are leaving the village this mission is classified as a C-rank mission. Any questions?"

Ami grinned. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow at noon. Now then, go clean yourselves up and pack whatever supplies you need."

xxx

"Fuck yeah! Our first C-Rank!" Ami shouted as they walked back into the house. "Finally, we'll get to show them what we can do!"

"It's just an escort mission, Ami. I doubt very highly we will have to do any serious fighting..." Naruto made his way to the kitchen. "Anyone what something specific for dinner?"

"Make some of that pasta you made on our first night here!" Ami called, as the girls headed upstairs to change.

"The Shrimp Liguini Alfredo..." Naruto shrugged as he began to gather the needed ingredients.

A few moments later Hinata came back down. "Um...Do-Do you need any help?

Naruto smiled. She was making progress. He could only imagine how much courage had taken to ask if he needed help. As such, and to encourage her progression he nodded. "Sure." His smile broadened when her eyes lit up, joy crossing her features along with a deep crimson blush. He indicated the freezer as he pulled down the pasta from the cabinet. "In the freezer there's some shrimp I bought yesterday, would you kindly put it on the skillet for me and turn the oven on?" Hinata nodded as she got out the shrimp and proceeded to follow Naruto's instructions. Ami came down a little later and started setting the table and pouring them all drinks.

"I still don't understand why you want your bedroom in the basement Naruto." Ami sighed as she sipped on some soda and placing the silverware on the table as Naruto shook his head. He knew this conversation was coming ever sinse he'd stated his intent to sleep in the basement. It wasn't that there wasn't enough room, it was just more practical to live in the dark so the Darkness could be of constant use to him.

"I've told you already, I'm most comfortable down here." Naruto drained the water and began to pour helpings on the plates Ami had gotten down.

"But it's so...dark! There's hardly any light." Ami argued as Hinata nodded as well.

"I happen to like the Darkness, thank you." Naruto countered bringing the food over and placing two plates before the girls and seating himself. "I'm assure you I'm perfectly fine."

Ami crossed her arms in a pout. "Alright...But we're putting some lights in here, just to make it a little less gloomy."

Naruto shook his head, he'd have argued further with her, but he was hungry and had work to do after dinner. "Alright, fair enough." He twirled his fork and began eating. "Wow Hinata, these shrimp are great. What did you do to add that aftertaste?"

Hinata blushed. ""I-I just added some spices, like you said. Maybe I put too much in..."

"Well, it's really good Hinata." Naruto smiled. "Maybe I should have you make dinner from now on."

Hinata beamed at the compliment and neither teen noticed the jealous frown on Ami's face. Once they had all finished Naruto cleaned the dishes, bid them all goodnight before heading downstairs. As soon as the door closed, Ami turned to Hinata. "Let's get something clear, right now Hyuga." Hinata blinked at her in confusion, while they had never gotten along that well due to their shared interest in Naruto, but so far they had kept things civil at absolute worst. Ami jabbed her thumb into her chest her brown eyes gleaming with a dangerous sheen. "Naruto is _mine_. Not yours, not anyone else's, I worked hard to be his favorite and I'll be damned if some little upstart _princess_ is going to ruin everything for me!"

Now Hinata began to grow angry. She had followed Naruto long before Ami had even acknowledged his existence, she knew almost everything there was to know about Naruto Uzumaki, from his favorite food to the route he took on his night time walks. For this-this _harlot_ to assume herself his one true love...It was absurd! And had she lacked the level of self control that she did, she'd have attacked Ami Mitarashi. However, her deep seated distaste for conflict and violence stilled her feminine wrath and she stood, her eyes showing every ounce of distaste for her female team mate they could as she placed her plate in the dishwasher and departed to her room to brood.

xxx

To say the walk to the village gate was awkward the next day was the understatement of the week. Both girls refused to look at each other and when they did they were glaring, the tension was palpable. Naruto kept glancing between the two as they either stared strait ahead or at the ground. He had no idea what had had happened, though had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with their mutual jealousy regarding him. _What a pain...We don't even know each other a month and already they're fighting..._Naruto's mood did not brighten when he met the client. The old man's first words upon seeing them was to call them bratty kids and insult Ami's face, which resulted in Naruto having to grab her by the back of her shirt and talk her down from attacking him. In fact, his day did not brighten until their second day of traveling when he noticed a small puddle along the road...That was the first time he smiled since this whole mission began, and it wasn't a pleasant smile in the least.

"Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked gaining the woman's gaze. "How long's it been since it last rained?"

She blinked at the odd question then noticed the puddle behind him. _I hadn't even noticed...We could have all been killed from behind..._She looked at Naruto again. _He is something..._ "About a week..."

Naruto nodded at her. "Thought so."

From behind, a single head rose from the puddle before leaping out of it and tossing another man from his back. He landed in front of Kurenai and circled her before anyone could think. The two were connected by a gauntlet and a single bladed chain that was digging into Kurenai's skin. "That's one." The first said as they yanked the chain from both sides, cutting Kurenai to shreds and leaving a bloody mess.

Hinata felt herself freeze as they vanished and reappeared behind her. "Two." The second one growled as they attempted to circle her as well.

With blinding speed Naruto leaped into the air, turning in an upside-down corkscrew, and tossing both a shuriken and a kunai, binding the chain to a nearby tree. Both men felt the chain jerk and looked behind them to see him land, balancing on their arms with grace befitting a cat. He looked up at them his eyes glowing white for a moment. "Not today motherfuckers." Putting his hands on their wrists he roundhouse kicked them with enough force to snap the chain. They stumbled and regain their balance, and with only a glance they relayed their message and charged, one targeting Hinata again, the other Ami and Tazuna. This left Naruto with a dilemma, he weighed the odds and located his sensei before shouted. "Hinata move!"

Ami, who had pulled a kunai from the start of the fight grunted as she prepared to meet the man head on.

His voice snapping her stunned trance, the Hyuga ducked in time to only be scratched by the man's bladed claw as he passed her. Naruto on the other hand moved in front of Ami and slamming a Darkness bladed hand into his chest and impaled his heart. As the man fell, he looked up at Hinata who was lying on the floor, bleeding from one arm as the man attacked the same nearby tree that held his chain. _Took her long enough..._He relaxed as Kurenai dropped from the tree and grabbing his neck from behind, snapping it.

Kurenai sighed. "I'm sorry it took me so long to save you Hinata. I didn't think you'd freeze up like that." She reached down and helped the young Hyuga up. "Are you alright?"

Hinata nodded as she stared at the two bodies. She couldn't do anything. _If Naruto hadn't been around...I could have been killed...And he..._ She looked at him as he checked over Ami for any injuries. _This was his first real fight, yeah he wasn't even scared. He acted and struck without hesitation, without fear. _She looked at her arm as Kurenai bandaged it. _He was even able to save me. Is the difference between us really so great?_

"Tazuna...We need to talk about this mission..." Kurenai glared down at the two ninja. "These look like Mist chunin."

Naruto looked a little angry too, his tone was dark filled with malice as he spoke. "Kurenai, why did you let them fight? Hinata and Ami could have been killed."

Kurenai did what she could to hide her flinch. his very being seemed to generate his disdan for her at this point in time... In his eyes she could see indignant rage bubbling and demanding an explanation. "I needed to know who these two were after. Tazuna or us." She returned her hard gaze to the bridge-builder. "We were assigned to protect you from bandits or gangs. Not other shinobi. I'm sure you have your reasons for lying to us but this is now a B-Rank even A-rank mission. Something these Genin aren't equipt to handle." She closed her eyes. "We're heading back."

Naruto glanced at the old man's downcast look, dispair and resignation in his eyes. "Why did you lie to us Tazuna?" His voice now calm as he gained the old man's attantion "You owe us that much."

The old man sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Okay...You're right. This mission is probably a B or A-rank just as you said. A dangerous man is after my life."

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"Your sensei has more than likely heard of him...The shipping magnet, Gato."

"Gato? Of Gato Transport?" Kurenai blinked in surprise.

"The very same. On the surface he runs a large shipping company, but behind the scenes he sells drugs and other illegal items, using ninja and mercenaries to take over other businesses and countries." Tazuna made a fist. "About a year ago he set his eyes on the Wave country. Using money and violence, he took over our shipping industry. He now has a monopoly on all buisess transactions between Wave and the other nations."

"W-Why would a businessman want you dead?" Hinata asked.

"Right now, I'm working on a bridge from the mainland to the island nations of Mist. When it's complete-"

"His monoply will be neutralized. He gets rid of you and that problem is gone for good and he keeps his little empire..." Naruto closed his eyes. "But then why didn't you tell us this from the start? We could have been better staffed to handle this sort of mission."

"My home is a very poor nation, ever since Gato arrived even the feudal lord hasn't been able to gather any money. There's no way we could ever afford an expensive mission like that." The bridge builder sagged his shoulders. "So that's it. If you still want to quit this mission, I can't stop you."

Naruto closed his eyes and frowned. On one hand if they quit the mission, Tazuna would be killed and that entire county doomed. On the other neither Ami, Hinata, and he was beginning to suspect Kurenai, we're ready to handle this sort of thing.

****

Go...

Naruto blinked, not expecting tht sort of response from what he had dubbed the Voice of the Darkness. It was the vocalized will of the infinite entity that was The Darkness, and it was very rare that it ever spoke to him, much less told him what to do. And it brought forth the question of why had the Darkness told him to help someone? That made no sense at all, the Darkness was a being of utter chaos and evil, it wasn't in it's nature to help people out of charity unless it served it's own purposes...But he also knew that the Darkness, on principle, would not involve itself in the affairs of "lesser creatures". If it wanted him to do something, there had to be a good reason. With a sigh he turned around to look at his three team mates. "What do you all think? Complete the mission and save the land of Waves...Or go home where we're safe, and dooming them for the forseeable future?"

All three ninja deadpanned at Naruto's choice of words. He was leaving them no alternative, which was his intent in the first place. Kurenai sighed her eye finding the boy and filling with annoyance. "Fine, fine. We'll transport you as far as your home and make our final decsion there..."

xxx

It took another three days from them to reach The Wave country. Along the way Naruto asked Tazuna what kind of place it was. The answers both pleased and angered him. Wave, as it turned out was a small country of islands with plenty of cloud cover and mists. This meant his Darkness constructs could last longer since the light wasn't direct. That was also where his pleasure of the information stopped. Wave had become a veritable den of thieves. Criminal types from all over began popping up after Gato took over, young women Ami and Hinata's age were forced to work in brothels to pay their parents taxes. Drug addiction had become a major problem and people would kill each other just to get a fix. In short, once Gato had arrived things went downhill...

"This is it for me Tazuna." The boatman who had ferried them over murmured as he fired up his motor. "Goodbye, and good luck."

Tazuna nodded to the man. "Thanks," When he had sailed off Tazuna turned around. "Alright, let's get me home. My daughter's probably worried sick."

_The chunin failed their task...No doubt Gato will send a Jonin level ninja after us next..._Kurenai frowned. She didn't like the situation that such a confrontation would create. She had only turned Jonin a few months ago, and against an experienced Jonin she had serious doubts of her abilities...

Hinata was having similar thoughts herself. She was still furious with herself for not being able to do more when those Chunin attacked. Ami had been able to not only pull a kunai but attempt to defend Tazuna, something she had gloated on extensively. She had only stood their helpless as Naruto did everything_. Next time...Next time It'll be different. I'll protect everyone..._

Naruto was running a test on his hand; From the moment they'd gotten on the boat onward, he'd been seeing how long, in this level of light, his constructs could last. the small patch of Darkness dissolved to dust._ Thirty minutes...More than adequate should I need them in combat..._ Naruto paused his thoughts, his eyes narrowing, and he looked about the area. Something was wrong. Very wrong. They were being watched, by whom was still unclear but he could feel the ill intent of whoever it was...He closed his eyes and began to listen, tuning everything out as he searched through the noise...Until he heard the sound of someone jumping. _"Everyone! Duck down now!"_ He tackled Tazuna to the ground as the other three ninja fell to their hands and knees avoiding a massive elongated Butcher knife that flew through the air and embedded itself in a nearby tree. They all looked up to ass a man standing on the hilt of the blade. He wore striped light blue pants with camo leggings and bracers. The lower half of his face was covered in bandages as his dark eyes stared at them. Naruto scowled, He knew that look in his eyes, he knew it because his darklings carried that same look into battle...

They were so fucking boned.

_xxx_

_See ya._


	4. God Fucking Damn it!

Here you are.

xxx

Kurenai slowly stood from her prone position and frowned. This was bad, she knew this man. He was in the bingo book. "Zabuza Momochi...The Demon of the Mist."

"What's with that face?" He smirked. "You trying to intimidate me? That's cute."

Her eyes narrowed even further as he mocked them. "What are you doing here? What is your purpose in attacking us?"

Zabuza simply snorted in amusement. "I'm here to kill that old man behind you." This wasn't just bad. This was the absolute worst case scenario. Zabuza Momochi was a master of the Silent Homicide Technique and used it extensively in combat. Most of her Genjutsu required her to see her target, so if things led down the road to combat...

He paused for a moment and grinned. "But, I'm in a rather good mood today and I have no grudge against you." He hled out his arm indicating the path to the docks. "You and your brats can leave and I won't kill you. Hell, I won't even give chase."

For a fraction of a second Kurenai considered it. Yes, it would be pure cowardice on her part for fleeing. But if it meant they all survived...

The desicion was taken out of her hands when Ami stepped forward showing pure bravado. "Kill _us_? We took out the last two chunin, no problem. We're Konoha Ninja, bitch! _We_ kill _you_!"

"Oh really?" The swordsman stated glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "You've got quite a mouth on you for a little girl." He grinned darkly. "I wonder if you'll still have that mouth if I lop off an arm."

Ami flicked her hand at him. "Bring it on motherfucker."

Kurenai risked a look behind her. "Ami shut up! You're only antagonizing him! He's far out of your league."

"Bullshit!" Ami shouted. "All this guy is is some buff little fucker who thinks his overcompensating blade can scare us!"

"Ami!"

Zabuza began laughing regaining the attention of the group. He honestly was beginning to find the little girl quite amusing "I have to say, Ami was it? I haven't seen so much bravado since the last war. Actually I find it..." He pulled his sword out from the tree, landing on the ground with a small but deft leap. "Refreshing". He let out a bored sigh. "I don't usually make a policy of hurting or killing women…But if you fight me, I guess I won't have a choice, will I?" Zabuza rested his massive sword on his shoulder and placed his other hand on his hip, giving Kurenai a side profile view of the man she would be fighting.

Kurenai's face shifted to one of quiet fury. Now he had done it...If there was one thing Kurenai couldn't stand it was a sexist. The ones that believed that no woman could ever match them in power, and viewed them as simply objects or dainty little things to be protected. The bile rose in her throat, and her grip tightened on her kunai.

Seeing this, Zabuza simply gave her a tired look, as if he was about to do something extremely tedious. "I guess I don't have a choice, then. When you're on the ground dying, just remember, I gave you a choice."

Zabuza vanished from view. Kurenai's eyes widened slightly. Before she could even ask the question, a timid yet firm voice piped up behind her. "Sensei…above!" If it weren't against so many precepts of morality and law, she'd have kissed the girl.

Zabuza's massive zanbato crashed into the ground just in front of her, as she completed her backwards roll. Cocking her arm back, she threw her Kunai forcibly at the masked Nin. Immediately afterwards, she went into hand seals.

Stopping on her last hand seal, she simply pushed the chakra outwards. She smirked as she saw Zabuza's eyes go slightly wide. Even her own team was astonished. They began looking in every direction, confused, as did Zabuza.

The Jutsu affected all minds within a certain radius and made her literally vanish from sight in a spiral of distorted space. Once affected, target minds had to be very strong, or very good at dispelling Genjutsu to release themselves. Otherwise, she would remain invisible to everyone around her…at least, until she reappeared using her next technique. Walking relatively slowly so as to not make any noise, she circled around Zabuza while doing other hand seals. Zabuza had brought up his sword into a guarded position and was currently looking in every direction desperately, cursing every once in a while. Kurenai smirked. She would show him just how 'weak' women were.

"Genjutsu...Tree of Binding Death." She whispered the technique slyly into the wind, completing her circle around the confused and now frightened mist nukenin. Said Nin was currently unable to move, as he glanced upwards. Kurenai smirked wider.

Sneaking up on him, she bound herself to the illusion, she appeared out of the tree with a kunai in hand, putting it to the former mist ninja's throat. Smirking, she pressed a bit harder with her Kunai. "This is what a woman can do."

She drew the kunai across the man's throat. His eyes went wide and he sputtered for a moment…and promptly turned into water.

Kurenai immediately reacted, unbinding herself from the illusion and jumping away just in time to avoid another earth-shattering strike of the Nukenin's zanbato. She silently cursed to herself. She should have been able to see if it was a Mizu Bunshin. The fact that she hadn't spoke to the skill this ninja possessed.

Zabuza pivoted on his heel, not willing to give Kurenai a single second's rest. He swung his massive sword with one hand in a cleaving arc towards Kurenai's midsection, and with a deft leap, she splashed into a nearby lake. _The water here...It's a... _

An echoing voice made itself present behind her. "That was good. I underestimated you. Genjutsu specialists are a rare breed nowadays." Before she could think to move, she found herself bound in a spherical prison of water. "The Water Prison Jutsu: Impossible to escape once your caught. That is..." He glanced at the three Genin and created a pair of Water clones. "Unless you have help."

Kurenai realized immediately what was going on. Zabuza was trying to goad them into attacking. Therefore leaving Tazuna without any protection... "Don't think of it!" She shouted. "Take Tazuna and get out of here!"

Naruto growled in annoyance and fury. _Just leave? Impossible. That option was gone the moment you were captured. We stay, he can just send a clone at us, we leave, he kills you and gives chase...The only option that doesn't involve us being slaughtered is..._

_God. Fucking. Damn it._

**You **_**like **_**it, don't you Uzumaki...**

"Ami, Hinata. Listen carefully and do not argue. If you want us all to survive, you will stay beside Tazuna. Am I understood?"

"But-"

"No 'but's' Hinata." Naruto growled. "I'm asking the two of you to trust me." He stared the girls down and they both nodded. "Alright, and promise me something...What you're about to see me do...Don't think of me as a monster..."

Before they could even ask what he meant he had turned and left walking silently towards the clones with no fear in his eyes. "Zabuza!"

"Hmm?" The swordsman glanced at the blond trench coat wearing, teen.

Naruto stood between the two clones that were now circling him.. "Zabuza, you have made three mistakes in coming here..."

"Oh? Enlighten me then boy." He smirked.

"First: You took the job." Slowly Naruto's eyes began to light up and he could here the shadows shifting about him. "Second: You came alone." A black substance flowed from his backside as the cloak coiled around him and formed a light blue armor with blackened blotches. "Third, and you should pay attention because it's the most important of part..." The two demon heads rose from his shadow and snarled as the tendril coiled whipped about dangerously showcasing it's bladed edge. "**You've gone and pissed me right the fuck off**." Before there could be any reaction, the tendril lunged impaling the clone on his left turning to to water. The two demon heads snarled and rushed at the other clone who was quick enough to cleave them both in half before backing away.

"What the hell are you?" It asked echoing it's creator's sentiments.

"**Who me?**" Naruto asked as he whistled softly. From behind the clone about five Darklings lunged from the trees screeching like the damned. as they latched onto it's back, clawing at it until it too exploded in a burst of water. "**I'm the guy that's gonna make you fucking scream.**"

What the hell is going on here? What's happened to Naruto? Ami thought as se watched the little demons shriek in annoyance from the surprising explosion.

The darklings all began shaking the water from them like little dogs before gathering around their master. The Alpha took his spot on Naruto's shoulder and stared out at Zabuza grinning. "So what's the deal Uzumaki-boy? Do we maul the bastard?" He asked in an Irish sounding accent.

Before he could answer one called out. "Dibs on intestines!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "**No, you guys are going to gather around them,**" He indicated the girls and Tazuna. "**and make sure they stay safe.**" There were cries of disapproval from the group but they reluctantly followed the alpha's lead and gathered in a circle around the three as Naruto began walking towards Zabuza the tendril whipping about wildly. The heads hissed at him wanting blood, blood Naruto was more than happy to provide. "**Zabuza, I will only say this once so you'd better listen well." **The tendril bent back it's bladed edge aimed from Zabuza's chest.** "****If you don't leave us alone I swear to you I'll kill you in a way that can only be described as extremely perverse.**"

Zabuza grunted in annoyance. How could this kid be so strong? To take out two of his clones in a matter of seconds, he hadn't even broken a sweat. Burt then again they were only clones and Zabuza had a sneaking suspicion that if he couldn't see his target then there would be no challenge in beating the brat. Once more he created three clones who made the hand-seals as he funneled the chakra forming a thick mist in the area."Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu."

Naruto blinked as his vision of the jonin was obscured. The heads hissed in annoyance and the tendril slacked slightly. He knew there was no way for him to predict whether the attack would be aimed for him or the others. With a thought the tendril retracted and regrew in the shadow of one of his darklings before coiling into a tight dome around them. **"What's wrong Zabuza?" **He smirked.** "Not man enough to face me one-" **Before he could finish, the three clones were upon him, their blades carving him to bits.

xxx

**Images...Horrid, horrid, images...**

**Kurenai's head on a silver platter as the darklings ate her limbs...**

**Hinata hung screaming from a tree as the demon heads chewed out her intestines...**

**Ami impaled upon the tendril with her still beating heart in her mouth as more darklings danced in her dripping blood.**

**_Not yet Uzumaki..._**

xxx

Naruto's eyes snapped open as the darkness heads bit down on two of the blades that attacked and a second tendril appeared to impale the third clone. It then moved fluidly as the clone exploded and impaled the other two destroying them as well. His face was beaded with sweat from his third near death experience of his life. Twice before he'd been ripped from Death's clutches by The Darkness. And every time he "died" he saw horrible images of those he cared about being slaughtered be his powers. He figured it was the Darkness's sick sense of humor trying to mess with him.

With a grunt he stood up and began shouting. "**Enough is enough!**" He roared in his fury. "**I have had it with these mother fucking clones and this mother fucking mist!**" He held out his hands closed fisted and began to open them slowly as his twin demon heads began to shift a light blue. They screamed like the damned as the wind began to pick up. Zabuza rose an eyebrow as the waters of the lake begen to rapidly start shifting and looked behind him seeing a growing black shape sucking in all the water.

"No way..." With a growl of annoyance, he pulled his arm from the prison releasing Kurenai and leaped out of the water as he watched the lake being swallowed whole by the rapidly growing black hole. The mist as well was being absorbed as the blond stood silently. Then all at once he snapped his fist shut closing the dimensional hole allowing Kurenai to regain her breath as she lay coughing on the soft bed of what was once a lake.

Naruto coughed and glanced at the orbs on the demon heads. There were a way for him to measure how much energy he had left to expend and his little stunt had left him with very little energy. This was why he despised creating a Dark Hole. To open a portal to where ever the hell the Darkness came from was no easy task and to keep it open long enough to drain not only the lake but the surrounding mist required even more energy...He groaned and fell to one knee as the demon heads light blue orbs vanished rapidly. _Damn it...I barely have anything left in the tank...I need to finish this now. No more screwing around. _With what strength he had he stood again and dispelled the darklings and tendril that he'd circled around the girls, giving him a little bit extra strength for his last attack. "Finish it." He murmured as the tendril behind him lunged. Yet just as it reached him the blade dissolved turning the tendril into a blunt ramming weapon that forced Zabuza through two trees before turning completely to dust. "Damn..." He grunted falling into the dirt as all of his constructs and armor vanished returning his clothes to him.. "Looks like...He's all yours Sensei..." His eyelids fell covering his now blue eyes as exhaustion claimed him.

xxx

"Will...e...alright...sei?" A voice asked though he darkness.

"I...n't know...ata...I...pushed himself...far." Another voice, slightly clearer.

"What is he...get all that power?" Almost perfect clarity. he grunted softly and opened his eyes. His entire body felt like an Akimichi had gone human boulder on his ass. His vision was blurry but he could make out three figures surrounding him. He could only assume they were his squadmates. They must have been able to finish off Zabuza after he'd passed out. "Thank god..." He murmured gaining their attention.

"Naruto!" heard Ami shouted as she latched onto him in a hug.

"Ow ow ow!" Naruto called out making her release him immediately. "Still sore Ami. Probably will be for a day or two..." He looked around seeing they were in a small house and he was restng on a couch. "How long was I out?"

"About thirteen hours. You must have overdone it with your..."She looked at the girls. "powers. We had to carry you back here."

"N-Naruto..." Hinata murmured not meting his eyes. "Wha-What were those things? The little black-"

"You mean my Darklings." Naruto sighed. he knew this conversation was coming, not only that he knew there would be no point in lying to them. "Ami, would you kindly hit the lights for me? if i'm going to explain this I'd rather have a visual so you can better understand it." Ami nodded and did as she was told when it was dark in the room Naruto took a deep breath. "Now what I'm about to tell and show you is not to leave this team. I don't want anyone else knowing about it, because it'll only cause me problems in our village. Got it?" They all nodded, even Kurenai. She'd been given a basic breifing of what Iruka had seen, but from what Naruto had done during his fight with Zabuza, she knew now the report hadn't even begun to scratch the surface of these powers. "When I turned five something awakened inside me. Something called The Darkness. From what I've been able to gather The Darkness is the manifestation of all chaos and creation. When I'm in the dark or in low light, I can do just about anything. In the light however the Darkness can't work as well and it turns to dust..." He made a fist and a blade of darkness shot out of his arm. "I'm only just learning the full extent of what I can do. I can create armor, weapons. If I can imagine it, well, it comes to life in the shadows."

He whistled slight and a pair of yellow eyes lit up under the bed and the alpha came crawling out. "So who am i gonna kill today boss?" It grinned glancing up at Kurenai. "Big tits?" His jumped over to Hinata's feet "White eyes?" It gripped it's blade. "Maybe all three?"

Before ayone could react Naruto spoke firmly. "Enough Gnarl. I've already told you that if I ever summon you in front of them and we aren't fighting it's purely for a demonstration."

The bearded darkling giggled and leaped back to the bed. "Ah, well can't blame me for hopin eh? They all look so good to eat!" Naruto rolled his eyes and waved his hand turning the darkling to dust. "That's what's called a Darkling. I give them something to kill, they follow my commands."

"I don't think I much like Gnarl." Ami frowned staring at the spot where he'd just been.

"He just likes messing with people Ami. he's actually pretty nice once you get to know him." Naruto smirked.

"You were saying Naruto?" Kurenai asked still curious about the power of The Darkness.

"Right, right. Anyway I can even create life, what you just saw was something simple that I threw together when I was bored. If i really tried i could create a near perfect replica of all of you from darkness constructs. Though it would probably drain a lot of my energy."

"So The Darkness does have limits." Kurenai reasoned. Naruto nodded.

"Not many, but there are a few, the first is that I can not use it in high degrees of light. Sunlight, long periods in regular light like the room we're in, both will destroy my constructs. then theirs My darkness energy..." His eyes shifted and began to glow as the two darkness heads spouted making the three women leap back in surprise. "It's alright. They won't attack without my say so." He indicated to the head on the left, in particular the long rows of yellow lights on the side of their heads. These dots measure how much Darkness Energy I have left Powerful Darkness techniques like the Dark Hole you saw me using before I passed out can drain me really quickly. Once I reach absolute zero...well." He indicated his current state. "That's the result."

"Then it looks like you're extremely lucky, Naruto." Kurenai smiled. "You could have been killed."

"Yeah, but I wasn't was I?" Naruto smirked not feeling like revealing his immortality to them. "So, how'd you three do it?" They glanced at him in confusion. "How'd you kill Zabuza?"

"We didn't." Kurenai answered.

"Excuse me?!" Naruto shouted sitting up and crying out as his back cracked in protest. "How are you three still alive if you didn't kill him?!"

"A hunter ninja got him. Two senbon to the neck, took off with the body to destroy it." This news seemed to only alarm Naruto further. "He's dead Naruto, I checked his pulse."

"No, he's not..." Naruto growled slamming his fist down in fury. "Let me guess the two points where he was struck." He put two fingers on a pair of pressure points on his neck. "Right here?" Kurenai nodded. When it became apparent she wasn't comprehending what it was he was trying to tell her he grunted in annoyance. "Ugh, these two points are what are known as near death pressure points. Impact a pair of them with something sharp and long, _like a senbon_, and you've achieved temporary paralysis in the victim. It mimics death nearly perfectly..." Naruto fell back down into the couch growling in annoyance. _This is great, just fucking peachy! Now that fucker's probably going to rest up and he knows what to expect out of me._

"God Fucking Damnit!"

xxx

I wanna thank the author who helped me out with this fight scene. Couldn't have done it without you, and you know who you are.

Keep kicking ass.


	5. Me and my Bleeding Heart!

Fucking Commies!

xxx

"Oi! Boss?" A scratchy Irish voice asked of the sleeping blond as he tapped his back with a clawed hand. His only response was an snort and something inaudible before drifting back to sleep. "_Boss_?" He called again poking him harder. The blond only rolled over onto his back. Sighing the Darkling grabbed another Darkling by the skull and and whacked the master on the head eliciting a sharp cry of pain as he sat up and looked around for his assailant. "Man boss, you sleep like a goddamn Brute!"

Naruto groaned holding his aching head as he glared at the various Darklings hanging around his room before setting his gaze on Gnarl. "Ugh, what the hell Gnarl? I was asleep goddamn it!" He swung his legs over and kicked one of them out from under him. He looked around at his clock and found the three digits flashing at him. Mocking him. Two o'clock...It was two o'clock in the fucking morning. "This had better be important..."

Gnarl ran his hand along his bearded chin. He looked nervous...Well, as nervous as a Darkling could look. "Well boss...I was kind of talking with Lillith..." Naruto's eyes narrowed at the name of that particular Darking and Gnarl smiled nervously. "And she was wondering if I could ask-"

"No." He made to lay back down as Gnarl jumped on his pillow holding out his hands in protest.

"Just-Just wait a minute Boss! I know you two aren't exactly on the best of terms-"

"She disobeyed me." Naruto growled swatting the Minion class leader away. There were four types of Darklings he had been able to successfully create in his experimentation of his powers and then there were the modifications. Naruto's easiest summon and by far the most extensive branch of Darklings were known as Minions. They were small imp like creatures usually black in color. They were split into four sub-classes as Naruto continued to experiment and create them.

"It was in the heat of the moment! You know how she gets during a climax!" Gnarl argued. "Besides she only wants to talk to you, stretch her wings a little."

Naruto sighed grabbing his coat and standing before going to the door and creaking it open slowly. Glancing around the hall to check for anyone else awake he snuck downstairs and into the yard where he cracked his back and stretched. Then he opened his palm and focused calling forth the first Succubus Class Darkling he'd summoned in a long time. The Succubus class had taken him a long time to master summoning and a lot of research into the human body to even attempt. To the untrained eye Succubi, or in the case of their male counterpart Incubi, were normal people, although extremely alluring to their prey. They were adept shape-shifters, becoming their prey's most perfect mate in the flicker of an eye. But once they took their true form it was apparent to anyone not under their spell already what they were...When transformed their left arm shifted into a bladed whip of darkness that impaled anything that dared to threaten them. The elongated fangs they possessed were used to great effect to drain the life blood from a victim.

Their leader was Lillith. The most beautiful and first success in creating the class. Strangely she had developed a fascination with her creator, whom she affectionately referred to as her Beloved Shifu, and was always trying to seduce him into making love with her. He remembered quite clearly when he had first summoned her. She immediately tackling him to the ground, straddled his waist and had his pants half down before he was able to send her back into the shadows. This had made him very weary of summoning her the next time, in fact he did not until he had about fifty Minions Class with him as a security measure against her raping him.

As she rose from the ground her large wings spread wide as she stretched and sighed contently, as one would after a good fuck. She was dressed in a see through bustier hiding her lower regions only just barely as the line of her womanhood was just barely visible, her breasts were hidden only behind long thick black hair that fell down her chest. She took a deep whiff of the air before opening her crimson eyes to stare at him, lust filling them like the water of a dam, her mouth curved into a dark grin that showed her long fangs. "My Beloved Shifu..." She whispered softly, floating gently on her wings to embrace him to which he pushed her back roughly.

"Gnarl said you wanted to talk. So talk." Naruto growled crossing his arms.

She pouted, putting on the most innocent face in the history of mankind, several surrounding Darklings swooned and collapsed, much to her amusement and his annoyance. "Oh, don't be that way! I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

"You deliberately disobeyed me. We were only lucky I sent you back before you were seen." His eyes narrowed glowing dangerously. "Now give me one good reason why I shouldn't send you back."

She dropped down from her hover and stared at him longingly. Her crimson eyes were seductive and innocent, hiding perfectly the evil in her soul. "I've never been much for words my sweet..." She whispered softly reaching out and sliding her fingertips along his chest setting his pleasure nodes on fire. He had not been naturally immune to her charms he would have become a helpless thrall to her, livingfor her touch like so many he'd sent her after before banishing her back into darkness. "You alone hold the power to command me..." She kneeled and kissed his hand with her blood red lips and sucking on his palm leaving a small mark on it in the center of the lipstick. "But if there is anything I can _do_..."

Naruto rolled his eyes pulling his hand away wiping it on his pant leg. Even when asking for a second chance to work for him her only thoughts were centered around sex. "I'll find something for you to do today. Don't screw up...and I promise I'll make the consideration Lillith." He closed his eyes in exasperation as she leaped at him squealing with joy before he faded her as well as the other Darklings into the shadows, though not before she was able to kiss his neck leaving small teethmarks on the line of his jugular. When he was finally alone he began to reflect upon the days events. All things considered the three of them had taken the news of his powers rather well. Granted Hinata seemed slightly more frightened of him and Ami was now requesting him to show more of his skills. Kurenai had asked the most questions however, and he had little doubt she was trying to gather some sort of file about the full extent of his abilities for the old man.

Problem was even he didn't fully know what he was capable of that's why he was constantly running test and experimenting. His most recent work centered around strengthening himself rather than enhancing his forces. He wanted to be able to, in situations where he could not call the darkness, be able to defend himself. So far he'd had mixed results on his project. Trying to enhance his bone structure with Darkness matter, while extremely painful, was plausible even in broad daylight. The main problem was the pure amount of pain it caused him. If he could learn more about the nerves in his body that sent signals of "pain" to his brain and learn to use the Darkness to temporarily sever them, then he could possibly replace his entire bone structure with Dark Matter at will. He shook his head, that was a long ways off, however, and until he could get the necessary medical text it was a moot point to continue that particular area of research.

With that thought he shifted gears to consider what to do about the current mission. Zabuza was alive, that much was certain. He also had an accomplice, a ninja in hunter gear from Mist. This was a matter of some concern, he knew he had hurt Zabuza pretty badly, but there was a good chance he would be licking his wounds for a few weeks at least enough for him to formulate a strategy on how to deal with swordsman. However, even if the mission was a success before that time Naruto knew he had hurt the older man's pride too, and there was an excellent chance he would come to try and even the score.

_But I'll fuck that bridge when I get to it..._

"N-Naruto?"

He sighed glanced over his shoulder at the sleepy form of Hinata Hyuga standing in the doorway. She wasn't wearing her jacket giving Naruto a good view of the figure of his teammate. He wouldn't lie, she was rather attractive in her own way. She was genuinely kindhearted and soft, a rare thing among ninja nowadays, and at the same time she could be absolutely infuriating. it wasn't her fault mind you, she simply lacked the confidence to strike true when she fought. She would hesitate and try as he may he'd been so far unable to completely break her of her shyness. In the last three days since revealing his powers he would attack her at dusk to build up her reaction times, he purposefully left his right leg open for counter attack yet every time she failed to notice the opening and would blindly strike for his chest which he kept very well guarded. He'd done everything but tell her where the opening was. from leaving it uncovered from his darkness armor to making exaggerated movements to emphasize his opening at the lower right of his body.

Realizing he was staring, he answered her politely. "I'm sorry Hinata, did I wake you up?"

"I-I thought I heard someone shouting...It sounded like a woman..." She bit her lip her cheeks burning ever so slightly as her stared at her his blue eyes calm as the wind. Inwardly Naruto growled. Mentally telegraphing his displeasure with Lillith's loudness at the middle of the night. "What-What are you doing up?" he heard her ask

Naruto blinked and glanced up at the sky. The crescent moon gleaming down very close to a night of perfect darkness. "I like to watch the moon." He said quietly turned back around and sitting on the grass. "It helps me think."

Hinata could have left him alone with that and wished him goodnight, but she swallowed as much of her shyness as she could and took a step onto the cold grass of the lawn. step by step she made herself come up beside him to sit down before staring up at the moon as well. Naruto did not seem to notice or mind her presence. in all actuality there was a sense of welcomeness emanating from the cursed blond. She froze as he stretched and leaned back into the grass him hands folding behind his head. "Um, Can I ask you a question?" She felt herself say gaining his gaze again.

"Go ahead, Shoot."

"When you're looking at the moon...What-What do you think about?"

Naruto glanced at her thinking the question rather odd. But he would humor her, after all she was making progress trying to come out of her shell so who was he to hamper her? "Truely? I usually think about the Darkness. Why was I allowed this power? Sometimes I wonder how I can use it, other times I think about how I _should_use it." She turned to look at him as he made a fist and three long black blades jutted from his knuckles making her jump. "I could destroy this whole damn planet with this power, I could conquer every civilized land and force them to serve me..." He smirked as the blades shifted in his hands becoming a beautiful black rose in between his fingers. "But then I could create...build a world where people don't have to suffer anymore...Where everyone can live together in peace." He crushed the rose making it dissolve into dust.

"Is...Is that all you think about?" Hinata asked quietly.

"No...Lately I've been thinking about my life up until now. Meeting you and Ami..." He glanced at her as she cheeks turned a rather pretty crimson. He smiled reaching up and puting a hand on her shoulder to help himself up before laughing out loud as she promptly fell back into the grass unconscious and taking him with her.

From the doorway a brunette woman smiled at the two bonding teammates before turning and heading back to bed. Meanwhile, a young purple haired Genin watched them through blinds in her window as she positively seethed seeing the Hyuga so close to _her _Naruto. _Fucking little bitch... _She had already staked her claim on the blond when they were in Konoha! She had no reason to be so close to him, especially at night! As she watched Naruto scoop up the unconscious girl and carry her inside she laid back down glaring at the shadows plotting a gruesome death for the whore that she knew she would never really carry out.

xxx

Breakfast the next morning was fairly quiet that day. Hinata was blushing through most of the meal and avoiding his gaze and Ami seemed to be attempting to destroy her eggs with her mind. Naruto, for his part, paid neither girl that much mind, he had reasoned Ami had seen him talking with Hinata outside and that had sparked her ire towards the Heiress. He smirked to himself before speaking. "Is there something wrong Ami?" He asked softly making her glance up at him in surprise. He fixed her with his best impression of Lillith and it took everything he had not giggle madly at the blush growing in her cheeks. "You're awfully quite this morning."

"N-No Naruto...I-I'm fine." She stammered uncertain why he was looking at her so lustfully. He'd seen her aunt giving similar stares to her various boyfriends and girlfriends sometimes just before they headed to her room to screw each others brains out. Was he trying to come onto her?

Naruto smiled earning a much larger blush from the young girl and a sour frown from Hinata. This was way to easy! Normally he didn't get off on messing with people's heads but at the same time it was so much _fun_. But before he could try anything else Kurenai finished her rice and spoke up. "Come on you two, We've got a lot of ground to cover today." Naruto didn't miss the pointed and disapproving frown from the jonin and looked at her innocently as if to say; Did I do something?

As the three left to train in the forest Naruto took the leftovers and passed them under the table to the three Darklings that quickly began licking and scarfing down the remaining meals. leaving the plates and bowl clean, if a little slobbery. As he stood to leave he decided to take the day off and decide what exactly he would have Lillith do. As he walked the streets he began to really take in just how bad these people were suffering... It also drove home the fact that this Gato was scum and he would make certain that for every child he was currently seeing on the streets looking at him pleadingly, he would make that man scream in agony.

It was then that his nose picked up on a strange scent emanating from a large building near the river. After asking around he learned quite a few things that royally pissed him off. The place was a brothel run by Gato to keep the moral of his men up. It was supplied by women, several of them younger than Ami and Hinata were now. He had half a mind to destroy the entire place himself...But no, he had made a commitment with Lillith and he figured this would be the perfect opportunity to make those men suffer... As he returned to his room, he knew he was going to have one hell of a time tonight!

xxx

Naruto flicked his hand and a circle of darkness grew from the ground as a beautiful woman with bet wings rose from the ground. She stared at Naruto lustfully. greeting him with a kiss to his hand "I can only guess you have something for me to do, my sweet..."

Naruto indicated the brothel and handed her a small black ball. "Toss that into the building before entering. The women are completely and totally off limits there. As for the men..." They both smiled. "Make them scream." She slid the ball into her bustier as Naruto continued. "Let me make myself clear Lillith. There are children in there, I don't want them any more scarred than they already are. If you screw up I swear I'll shine you."

Lillith flinched at the threat ever so slightly. It was the most painful torture a Darkling could go through. The Master would summon the offending Darkling and beginning subjecting parts of their body to highly concentrated light. then they would more to another section to allow that part of the body to repair itself. Rinse and repeat. However she giggled after regaining her composure before coming up to him and stroking his chest. She let out a lustful sigh as her other hand touched his chin. "I love it when you talk dirty..." She moved to kiss him before spreading her wings and flipping back laughing as she took flight into the night.

Naruto watched her for a while before flicking his hand to summon Gnarl. "You vouched for her Gnarl. Now you make sure she keeps her word." Gnarl nodded and scampered off after the beautiful Darkling as Naruto turned and headed back to the house. He trusted Gnarl and knew that he would keep Lillith in check while she carried out his orders. As he passed a tree he heard a soft groan and rose his eyebrow and looked around. That's when he found them. Two bodies, one a girl in a light blue hunter outfit with her mask barely hanging off her face. More interesting, however, was the heavily injured form of the Mist swordsman Zabuza Momochi. Without even thinking, a long black katana with a swastika shaped guard formed in his hand. A chain hung at the hilt and clicked about as he kneeled down to check for a pulse. Guy was dead. Rigor Mortis hadn't set in yet so it had to be fairly recent, the body was still warm.

The girl, however, had a faint pulse and had several needling coming out of her chest and back. He closed his eyes in exasperation and rose his blade aiming it at her back...Yet something stilled his blade stopping him from dealing the coop de grace. She was murmuring sominething her eyes opening slightly to look up at him. "Please...him..." Naruto regripped his weapon and sighed crushing it in his hand before scooping her up onto his back and summoning a collection of Darklings to carry the body of Zabuza.

_Me and my bleeding heart..._

xxx

Keep kicking ass!


End file.
